The Most Beautiful Backstage Photos of 2019

Thanks to live-streams, lighting-fast photography, and relentless Instagram coverage, you can more or less “experience” a fashion show from anywhere in the world on your phone. You’ll see every look, the models, the set, the hair and makeup, the celebrities in the front row; maybe you’ll even hear the soundtrack. But you’d still be missing a big piece of the puzzle if you don’t get a glimpse of the backstage action, too. Our behind-the-scenes photos are as close as you can get to the pre-show chaos, and they routinely become some of our very favorite photos of the year.

Vogue Runway published thousands of backstage shots in 2019, spanning two couture weeks, two months of ready-to-wear coverage, and major Resort and Pre-Fall shows in between. Here, we distilled them down to the 32 absolute best images, which also help to tell the story of the year: There’s the mind-boggling beauty looks we saw at Gucci (prosthetic tears), Valentino (feather eyelashes), and Rick Owens (body modification c/o Salvia); Rodarte’s otherworldly Los Angeles show; Dries Van Noten’s collaboration with Christian Lacroix; Jonathan Anderson’s experimental new look for Loewe; and so much more. Relive all 33 of the year’s best moments below, and come back later this week when we start covering the men’s fall 2020 shows in London.